Welcome to the Institute of Freshwater Research!

Last changed: 03 April 2023

The building of the Institute of Freshwater Research. Photo.

The Institute of Freshwater Research is one of three divisions at the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua). Our research focuses on fish and shellfish in lakes and rivers such as pikeperch, salmon, sea trout, eel and crayfish. We monitor the aquatic environment, developing the methods and know-how for sustainable use of aquatic resources.

Our main focus is resource estimations, fisheries management and conservation of fish and its relation to the environment. We run projects dealing with the stocks in the four largest lakes of Sweden, salmon, sea trout, eel and crayfish, endangered species and eutrophic lakes and problems related to acidification and liming.

The Institute of Freshwater Research is responsible for the test-fishing data generated in national and regional environmental programs, on behalf of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.

Research facilities

The Institute of Freshwater Research regularly conducts standardized test-fishing, and we also sample catches from professional fishermen. The results can be used for environmental assessment and as a basis for sustainable fisheries management. Photo: Malin Hällbom

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Sustainable management of fish and seafood populations requires good decision making. The Institute of Freshwater Research has expert competence on migrating fish species such as salmon and eel, freshwater fish such as pike-perch and whitefish and freshwater crayfish. Photo: Anders Asp

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In streams, data collection is conducted with electrofishing and the information is stored in the database SERS. The database contains data from 81,000 electrofishing sessions, from 22,000 locations. Photo: Lars Ohlson

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Ageing of fish can provide detailed knowledge of fish stocks and show how fish react when the environment changes. Otoliths (ear stones) are used to determine the age of most fish species. Here, an otolith from eel, colored with flourescent chemicals. Photo: SLU Aqua

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The biological archive is the heart of our data collection at the Institute of Freshwater Research. The archive contains samples from more than 1 million fishes. Most samples are from the beginning of the 20th century onwards, but we also have samples from several thousand years B.C. Here, King Carl XVI Gustaf visiting SLU Aqua and the facilities at Drottningholm. Photo: Viktor Wrange

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